Letter to the Editor: Immigrants Should Pay School Districts When Granted Citizenship

I am addressing your Board tonight with a request that you take a bold step in a current national debate.

I speak of immigration reform.

At the outset, please understand that as a history major, I have long understood that immigration has been critical to the success of our Country.  Yet, the past 30 years have seen the Federal government fail in their responsibility to its citizens.

Today, the Federal Government is struggling to solve the problem of illegal immigration.  Proposals for reform are expected imminently.  For the record, I side with those that believe something must be done, and that something must include a clear path for citizenship.

It is obvious that any proposal for legalized status will require an application.  It may be a difficult hurdle.  It may require the accumulation of records to document residency in this country.  We can expect that our School District will be subject to many requests for educational records to support any such application.  There will be costs associated with that.

 We can expect that any proposal will include a guarantee that all income taxes owing must be paid prior to a grant of citizenship.  That is fair.

We can expect that any proposal will likely require payment of administrative fees to process the application.  That is understandable.

We can expect that any applicant will likely utilize the services of an immigration attorney, or an advocacy group, to assist in the process.  While I am an attorney, I do not practice in immigration law.

What I am asking is that this Board demand a seat at the table.  I am asking that your Board lead the way, and demand that our Federal government mandate that any application for legalized status include some sort of reimbursement to any school district that willingly and well undertook the responsibility to educate the children of illegal immigrants, whether or not their children were privileged to be citizens. 

I am not asking that this be total reimbursement – that would be lunacy.  I am asking that some sort of recognition be required of the role the public school played in meeting the needs spawned by Federal regulatory failure.   The Districts that would benefit would be poorer districts like Port Chester, whose ranks swelled with such students.  It would be fitting and needed compensation.

Say it was $1,000 a year for each year any child attended a public school.  If someone is willing to pay thousands to an attorney to help them achieve citizenship, or as we understand has happened on numerous occasions, someone is willing to pay someone to marry them to achieve legalized status, is not it fair that a small amount be required to also achieve such status.  Imagine the revenue source.

It will be simple to administer, particularly if educational records are part of the application.  It will be a source of revenue to offset the overwhelming property tax burdens of legal residents forced by the Federal government to absorb the costs of education undocumented residents.  It will guarantee that Districts like Port Chester will be assured of some revenue, since any of the unpaid income taxes the Federal government is likely to receive, have done little to directly support the costs of education.

I propose a simple resolution to pass and send to our congressional leaders:

Resolved, that any application for legalized status or citizenship include a requirement of proof of reimbursement to any public school district that educated the applicant or any child of such applicant without regard to whether such applicant’s child was a citizen.  Reimbursement shall be at a rate of $_____  a year for each and every year or part thereof, that an applicant or child of an applicant attended a public school in United States of America.

Thank you.